Improvement in ivliddlings-purifiers



I 3 Sheets--Sheet 1.-

M. T. GREENLEAF.

. Middlings-Purifiers.

N0.\47,388, Patented Fe.b.10,1874.

ternel/.5.

MILLER T. G-ItEENLEAF, OF QUINGY, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WiiDDLlNGS-PURIFIERS.

Specilieation'forining part of Letters Patent No. 147,388, datedFebruary 10, 1874; application filed i November 19, 1873.

To alt Awhom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLER T. GREENLEAF, of Quincy, in the county ofAdams and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flour-Dustin g and Middlings-Purifying Machine; and dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exa-etdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to the class of machines known as flour-clusters ormiddlings-purifiers; and it consists in the construction and arrangementof the same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 an end view, and Fig. 3 alongitudinal vertical section, of my machine. Fig. 4 is a partialsection of one end of the machine. Fig. 5 is a section through the fan,and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the riddle-hangers.

A represents the frame of my machine, constructed in any suitablemanner, to contain the various working parts. In one end of the frame Ais formed the hopper B; and at the bottom of said hopper is anoscillating flexible feed valve` or bar, G,.for the purpose of selfadjusting and regulating the feed evenly into the disintegrator below.The valve or bar O is attached to a shaft, a, which has its bearings inthe ends oftwo arms, E E, pivoted, one upon each side, on the outside ofthe frame A. Through the inner end of each arm E passes a rod, b, onwhich, above the arm, is placed a spiral spring, d, and a nut, c, isscrewed upon the upper end of the rod down upon and against the spring.By this means the feed valve or bar C may be adjusted up and down,andalso `rendered iiexible by the springs on top of the inner ends of thearms E E, the tension of the springs being regulated by the nuts e e.Upon one end of the feed-shaft c is formed or attached an arm, f, theouter end of which is slotted, and passed over a crank-pin, z',projecting from a disk or wheel, 71, placed upon Ithe end of a revolvingshaft, D. By this means the shaft a and valve G obtain an oscillatingmotion. The disintegrator is composed of a revolving shaft, lo, with ahead, Gr, at cach end, said heads being connected by rods or beaters mm, and the whole inclosed in a concave or jacket,

H. This is used for the purpose of whipping v or beating the dust andflour from the middlings, and then throwing them out into a current ofascending air, thus making a perfect separation of the dust andmiddlings while in suspension. The middlings iinally fall on thegathering-boards I, and slide onto the riddles J J, and there gradingthe iner from the coarser, and separating the middlings from the bran.The iiour and dust are carried upward through the chamber K, forwardthrough the flue K1, and down through a closed passageway, K2, where,near the lower end of the passage, is an abrupt turn upward to thefanchamber L. At this point the heavier portion of the flour and dustpasses down and falls in a trap or valve, M, and, when the load is heavyenough, the valve opens, and it may pass into spouts that lead it away.The light fuzzy dust is 'carried on up to the fa-nchamber L, and passedthrough the fan into the dust-room. The top of the fan-chamber L isprovided with a large valve, N, hung so as to open inward, and providedwith an arm, u, upon which is a movable weight, 0. This weight may bemoved back and forth on the arm, so as to hold the valve against itsseat to any desired pressure. This arrangement makes it a self-actinggovernor, allowing at all times the same amount of air to pass throughthe disintegrator. The valve N is provided, on its upper side, with twoprojecting wings, having" small downward-projecting pins y at theirends, which rest in recessed seats z on top of the mill, so that thevalve can at any time be removed, when desired. At the highest pointbetween the disintegrator and the fan-chamber in the ilue or passage K1is a valve, P, opening from the air-passage into the chamber over theriddles, This valve is provided with a quadrant, r, and screw s, for thepurpose of adjusting the currents of air passing through the chamber.The riddles J J are arranged as shown-one top and one bottom, horizontalsieves, and two intermediate inclined ones, all in a frame, R,

which is moved back and forth by means of a crank-shaft, t, and pitmano. The riddle-frame lt is suspended by means of hangers w w, passingthrough loops on the under side of the riddle-frame. The ends of thehangers are provided with screw-threads, and passed each through asleeve or tube, x, and a nut, y, screwed on the end of the hanger abovethe tube. The tube x is provided with a pin or arm, z, which is insertedin a loop, a', formed upon a slotted plate, b', and this plate adjustedupon the main frame A. By this means the riddle-frame may be adjusted inany desired llltlllll.

lhe n'iiddlings, bein g poured into the hopper B, are fed by theadjustable rocking valve C to the disintegrator, by which the fine fuzz,dirt, Src., is beaten from the middlings; and the middlings pass downonto the gatheringboards I to the riddles J, Where they are separatedfrom the bran and graded in different qualities. After leaving thedisintegrator, the fuzz, dirt, 85e., is carried up by the air-currentcaused by the suction-fan through the passages K, K1, and K2, in thelatter of which the heavier particles of these substances fall down andout through the trap or valve M, while the lighter substances pass withthe air-current through the fan-ease L, and out of the machine. Theforce of the air-current is adjusted or regu lated by means of the valveI), and, when so adjusted, is maintained uniform by means of thegovernor-valve N.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the feed-valve C, shaft a, lslotted crank f, pin1'., and revolving disk h,

substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The combination of the feed-valve C, shaft a, pivoted arms E, rods b,springs d, and nuts c, all constructed substantially as and for thepurposes herein set forth.

3. The combination, in a middlings-puriiier, of the chambers K K1K2,suction-fan and chamber L, disintegrator G, riddles J J, andgathering-boards I I, all constructed and arranged to operate in themanner substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The combination, in a middlings-purer, of the chambers KK1K2,suction-fan and chamber L, adjustable valve l?, feed-valve C,disintegrator G L m, gathering-boards I I, and the riddles J J,substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

5. rlhe removable valve N, provided with Wings w', pins y', arm n, andWeight O, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand thisllth day of October, 1873.

MILLER T. GREENLEAF.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN G. TYLER, (ino. H. BUCKLEY.

